How to use a BBQ grill mat
Updated: 22 October 2026
The sheet is already in the drawer, and the next cook is sausages or halloumi on a gas or charcoal barbecue. The usual failures are a hole where the flame touched the coating, black flakes in the food, or meat sitting in a pool of fat. This is how to use a BBQ grill mat on the grate: wash it, trim it, put it on only after the fierce heat has dropped, and take it off if it smokes. The [BBQ mat comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/bbq-mat) is the product table if you are still choosing a pack. This page is not a ranking, and it is not the mat under the legs.
The sheet is already in the drawer, and the next cook is sausages or halloumi on a gas or charcoal barbecue.
The sheet is already in the drawer, and the next cook is sausages or halloumi on a gas or charcoal barbecue. The usual failures are a hole where the flame touched the coating, black flakes in the food, or meat sitting in a pool of fat. This is how to use a BBQ grill mat on the grate: wash it, trim it, put it on only after the fierce heat has dropped, and take it off if it smokes. The BBQ mat comparison is the product table if you are still choosing a pack. This page is not a ranking, and it is not the mat under the legs.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Sheet size | Stated heat limit | Open-flame note | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Linda's Essentials Linda's Essentials (3 extra-large sheets) | 41.3 x 58.4 cm | 260°C | Not stated | 9.4 | about £9.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  GQC GQC (6 sheets, 40 x 33 cm) | 40 x 33 cm | 500°F | Not stated | 9.3 | about £8.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  WholeFire WholeFire (3 mesh sheets) | 40 x 33 cm | 260°C | At least 5 inches from flames | 8.7 | about £10.99 | View offer |
On this page
Before the first cook
Wash the sheet before food touches it. Warm water and washing-up liquid are enough, then dry it. If the piece in your hand is a patio mat, stop: this sequence is for a grate sheet of about 40 x 33 cm, or the Linda's sheet at 41.3 x 58.4 cm. A floor mat does not go on the bars.
Trim with scissors so the sheet sits on the grate and does not hang into the firebox. One 40 cm sheet covers part of a four-burner. Cut off the spare width that would drape toward the burner. Do not cut food on the mat. A knife track is a place the coating lifts. If your pack names a side, follow that line.
Gas and charcoal are not the same moment
On gas, preheat with the sheet still off the grate. Care sheets do not agree on a minute count, so this page will not invent one. Place the sheet when you are at cooking temperature and not looking at a roaring flame. Copper Chef’s caution is a ceiling around 500°F, the 260°C figure printed on several sheets here. The PTFE heat page is where those sources are spelled out. Clean old fat off the bars before the sheet goes down.
On charcoal, wait until the coals are ashed over, not while flames lick the grate. Humble Kitchen’s care sheet says about 5 to 7 inches from the heat, and not over open flames. WholeFire prints at least 5 inches. A Cookey review describes a hole where charcoal from sausages sat against the coating. Homelax says not to place the mat directly on charcoal. If you cannot keep that gap, cook on the bare grate.
While the food is on the sheet
Oil the food lightly if it is lean fish or sliced vegetables. A thick pool of oil is how you fry rather than grill. Space sausages so rendered fat can be poured off. Review patterns for Linda's, Cookey, and Ankier include a boiled taste when food sat in that liquid. Keep one zone of a gas grate bare and finish the sausage there for colour.
Use silicone or wood, and lift rather than saw. Metal tongs scratch the coating. If the sheet smokes or smells sharp, stop. Black flakes are the same signal. Ankier reviews include black material in the food. Throw that portion away and retire the sheet. WholeFire reviews include burn-through on a first use on a gas barbecue, a Weber, and a Big Green Egg.
Cleaning and when to stop
Let the sheet cool until you can hold the edge, then wipe grease and wash in the sink. Abrasive pads and oven cleaner are how coatings shed.
GQC, Linda's, Homealexa, Cookey, and WholeFire say a dishwasher is acceptable. Ankier’s specification says no, while a bullet says the top shelf. One Cookey review says the sheet was washed in the sink. If you use a machine, use the top shelf and inspect it afterwards.
Retire the sheet when the coating has lifted, a hole has opened, or black residue keeps wiping onto the food. If you feel unwell after heavy fumes from an overheated non-stick sheet, stop and seek medical help. Named packs are on the best BBQ grill mat page.
Common questions
Do I preheat the barbecue before the sheet goes on?
Yes. Preheat gas with the sheet off the grate, then lay it on once the flame has settled. On charcoal, wait until the coals are ashed. Care sheets do not share one minute count, so use the state of the fire. A cold sheet on a roaring flame is how holes start.
Can the sheet touch charcoal or a gas flame?
No. Direct flame damages these coatings. Trim any overhang that would droop into a gas burner. If your kettle cannot give you that gap, leave the sheet in the drawer.
Should I oil the sheet?
Oil the food lightly, especially lean fish and vegetables, rather than flooding the sheet. Pour or mop the excess off during the cook. Mesh lets more fat through, and it still must stay off the flame.
Why is the food sitting in liquid?
The solid sheet blocks the drips that would have fallen through the bars, so sausages render into that tray. Tip the fat away, or finish them on a bare section of grate for colour. Keeping food out of the fire has this side effect.
Can I cut the sheet with scissors?
Yes, if you are trimming it to the grate. Linda's, the GQC packs, Homealexa, Ankier, and WholeFire say the sheets can be cut, and Cookey reviews mention trimming too. Cut off anything that would hang into the flame. Do not chop food on the sheet.
Dishwasher or sink?
The sink is the safe default when the listing disagrees with itself. If you use a dishwasher, choose the top shelf and check the coating afterwards. Skip scourers and oven cleaner. Retire a sheet that comes out flaking.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
- Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Food contact materials regulations (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- London Fire Brigade: barbecue leaflet, April 2024 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BfR: PTFE non-stick coating FAQ (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Chemours: Teflon coatings safety (retrieved 21 October 2026)